PM Modi lauds successful trial of naval Ballistic Missile Defence interceptor missile

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the maiden successful test flight of a sea-based endo-atmospheric interceptor missile by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy.

"Congratulations to our scientists for their continuous grit and determination to further strengthen our defence capabilities," PM Modi said on Twitter on Monday, replying to an earlier tweet by the Indian Navy.

With this significant accomplishment, India joins the elite club of countries with naval Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) capabilities. The testing, held on April 21, 2023 in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Odisha, was intended to eliminate a hostile ballistic missile threat.

According to the Indian Navy, the trial further augments combat capabilities aimed at making it a Future Proof Force ready to preserve, protect & promote India's Maritime interests. "This successful firing is a significant milestone by @DRDO_India & #IndianNavy towards #AatmaNirbharBharat," the Indian Navy said in its tweet.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release, “The purpose of the trial was to engage and neutralise a hostile ballistic missile threat thereby elevating India into the elite club of nations having Naval BMD capability.”

Earlier, the DRDO had successfully demonstrated a land-based BMD system with the capability to neutralize ballistic missile threats, emerging from adversaries. DRDO accomplished the phase-II testing of the BMD interceptor AD-1 in November 2022. This step is believed to have been taken to counter a specific threat from China, which has been amassing ballistic missiles.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, the Indian Navy, and the industries engaged in developing the missile after the successful demonstration of ship-based ballistic missile defense capabilities.

Chairman DRDO Samir V Kamat, and Secretary DDR&D praised the teams involved in designing and developing the missile. Kamat hailed the achievement as a significant step towards achieving self-reliance in developing highly complex network-centric anti-ballistic missile systems for the nation.